This guide will provide governments, donors, and other relevant stakeholders
with a framework to assess the policy environment for procuring and financing
contraceptives. The guide examines policies and practices to identify whether
they are supporting or hindering the performance of such financing and
procurement. A country’s finance and procurement systems determine whether
supplies are financed, procured, and delivered in a timely manner. Supportive
and functioning policies related to procuring and financing contraceptives
provide an enabling environment and, when implemented effectively and
efficiently, serve as the foundation for the effectiveness of those systems.
Although tools and approaches have been developed to address challenges related
to other aspects of contraceptive security, few address in detail the necessary
policies and practices. Analyzing the policy environment related to procuring
and financing contraceptives can help determine the root causes of a health
system’s poor performance and can identify opportunities for improvement. This
guide can be used as a diagnostic and monitoring tool to accomplish the
following:

Understand the policy environment related to procuring and financing
contraceptives in a country;

Identify existing policy barriers that may be hindering contraceptive
security;

Plan a smooth transition from donor-procured commodity support to
government-financed or basket-funded commodity procurement by government
agencies;

Improve implementation of policies where the practice does not match the
policy;

Develop evidence to support advocacy for increased financing of
contraceptives or for more efficient financing and procurement mechanisms;

Monitor how financing and procurement policies are implemented.

More important, this guide is about both policies and practice and their
implementation. Although countries may have well-designed policies, they may not
be implemented appropriately (strictly, correctly, fully) or efficiently. This
guide thus examines the prescribed procurement or the financing policies and
procedures or both to determine where bottlenecks exist and which specific
operational aspects should be addressed to improve the situation. Alternatively,
if countries lack clear policies or guidelines, it is important to determine

By examining the rules, regulations, guidelines, and practices that
governments use to translate laws and polices into program implementation, one
can gain a better understanding and appreciation for the challenges or barriers
to financing and procuring a country’s contraceptive needs.